Wedding Photographer & Videographer in Palos Verdes & the South Bay

I'm Connery, and I've spent 17 years photographing and filming weddings on this stretch of coast — from the bluffs above Rancho Palos Verdes down to the marinas in Redondo. The Palos Verdes Peninsula and the South Bay are their own animal. You've got clifftops that drop straight into the Pacific, a marine layer that decides your ceremony light for you, and wind that no amount of hairspray fully beats. If you know how this coast behaves, it's some of the most cinematic wedding scenery in Southern California. If you don't, it eats you alive at 5pm. This page is about how I shoot it.

What actually makes this coast different to shoot

The single biggest factor out here is the marine layer. Along the Palos Verdes bluffs and the South Bay beaches, that gray ceiling often doesn't burn off until late morning or even early afternoon in May and June — the locals call it May Gray and June Gloom for a reason. That's not a problem for me; flat, soft overcast is gorgeous for portraits and it kills harsh shadows on faces. But it does mean your golden-hour plan can go sideways. I always build a timeline that has a Plan A for clear skies and a Plan B for a stubborn gray lid, so nobody's panicking at 4:30 wondering where the sun went.

Then there's wind. The bluffs at Terranea and above La Venta catch afternoon onshore wind that can turn a veil into a sail and rearrange a bride's hair between the vows and the first kiss. I love it, honestly — a veil lifting off the ocean is one of the best frames you can get out here — but I position couples with the wind in mind so it works for the photo instead of against it. Tell your stylist the ceremony is exposed and oceanfront. It changes their choices.

At sunset, this coast gives you backlit ocean haze — that glowing, slightly milky light where the sun sits low over the water and the salt air catches it. It's beautiful and it's also a technical trap: it fools a lot of cameras into underexposing faces into silhouettes. I shoot for it deliberately, dragging shadows back and using fill so you get the glow and your faces. If you're curious how I keep exposure clean in changing coastal light, I've written about my approach to auto ISO on wedding days.

A blunt word about Wayfarers Chapel

If you fell in love with the idea of the Wayfarers "Glass Church" in Rancho Palos Verdes — I have to be straight with you. It was dismantled in 2024 after land movement on the peninsula made the site unsafe, and it is not currently a venue you can book. I still get couples who found it on an old Pinterest board and assume it's operating. It isn't. Don't build your day around it. The good news is the peninsula is full of ocean-view alternatives that give you that same light-and-sea feeling, and I shoot most of them regularly.

The venues I know out here

Terranea Resort (Rancho Palos Verdes) is the flagship. It's a full oceanfront resort on the point, with lawns that look straight out over the water and coves below for portraits. It's big, so the walk between getting-ready rooms, ceremony, and reception is real — I scout the property and build travel time into the timeline so you're not sprinting in heels. The exposed lawn ceremonies get the full afternoon wind, and the golden-hour cliff walk is worth protecting 20 minutes for.

La Venta Inn (Palos Verdes Estates) is my sentimental favorite on the peninsula — a small hilltop Spanish estate with a lawn that looks down over the whole South Bay coastline. It's intimate, it's got that Mediterranean architecture that plays beautifully against the ocean, and the light late in the day up there is ridiculous. Because it sits high, it catches wind and it can sit under the marine layer while the beach below is clear, so timing matters.

The Portofino Hotel & Marina (Redondo Beach) is a different vibe entirely — right on the water at King Harbor, boats and sea lions and all. You get harbor reflections, marina walkways, and sunsets straight off the deck. It's more relaxed and coastal than the grand cliff estates, and I lean into that when I shoot there.

Just east, in Long Beach — close enough that plenty of my South Bay couples consider them — I also shoot the Queen Mary, the historic ship with those Art Deco interiors and deck views, and The Grand LB, a big ballroom property that runs a huge volume of weddings. Both are solid options if you want indoor grandeur near the water rather than an exposed bluff. Wherever you land, if you're getting married outdoors on this coast, it's worth reading how I think about choosing a photographer for an outdoor Los Angeles wedding before you sign anyone.

Photo and video from one team

Everything I've described — the light reads, the wind positioning, the timeline — is easier when your photography and your film come from the same crew instead of two vendors who met that morning. My photo and cinematography teams are one operation. We share a plan, we don't fight over the same three feet in front of the aisle, and the film and the stills actually look like the same wedding. If you're weighing whether to do both at all, I wrote an honest take on photo versus video and whether you really need both, and a separate one on whether videographers are actually worth it. And for a beach or bluff film specifically, my guide to choosing a videographer for a coastal wedding covers the audio and wind issues most couples never think about.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit to shoot on the Palos Verdes bluffs?

If you're getting married at a venue like Terranea or La Venta, the property covers your ceremony and portrait access — no separate permit. It's public bluff-top spots and city parks along the peninsula that can require permits and have parking limits. I flag which locations are venue-controlled versus public when we build your day so there are no surprises.

How does the marine layer affect my ceremony time?

For a summer wedding on this coast, I usually push the ceremony later in the afternoon so you're clear of the gray and lined up for that golden backlit light. We map it to the actual sunset time for your date — here's a realistic wedding day timeline I use as a starting point.

Can you do drone footage over the coast?

Yes, when the venue and airspace allow it — and this coastline is one of the few places where aerials genuinely add something, because the cliffs and coves only read from above. There are rules near the harbor and certain flight zones, so I confirm it per venue. More on that in my piece on drone videography for weddings.

How far in advance should I book?

The good peninsula dates go early, especially late-summer and fall Saturdays when the light is best. If your date is set, reach out sooner rather than later.

Let's talk about your day

If you're planning a wedding anywhere from Palos Verdes Estates to Redondo Beach and you want a team that already knows how this coast's light and wind behave, I'd love to hear about it. Call or text (818) 749-7039 or reach me through the contact page, and I'll walk you through how I'd shoot your specific venue.